You can make broccoli with creamy lemon sauce in the time it takes to steam the broccoli itself. This is a warm lemon-mustard emulsion built on mayonnaise and sour cream that clings to every floret.
It's fast and make-ahead friendly for those of us hosting dinner and wanting to avoid fussing over a stove or blender right before serving.
My mother-in-law introduced this recipe to me and calls it mock hollandaise sauce.
I don't think it's as buttery as real hollandaise. It's also a little thicker. We've always served this over steamed broccoli, and it beats that dried hollandaise packet every single time.
What I love most about it is that it's make-ahead friendly. You can heat the sauce in a microwave or on the stovetop and not think about it again while you're managing everything else on the stove.
You can also use it as a vegetable sauce pairing for other dishes. My sautéed asparagus is great on its own, but a drizzle of this creamy lemon sauce over the top is a hit.
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- The whole dish, broccoli and sauce, can be made in the microwave.
- Five-ingredient sauce that doesn't break, even if it boils.
- Made in 5 minutes. No blender, no double boiler, no stress.
- Very few dirty dishes.
What Is Creamy Lemon Sauce?
It's a simplified take on hollandaise - tangy, warm, tart, and creamy without the technique.
Instead of butter and egg yolks, this sauce starts with store-bought mayonnaise and sour cream.
It's thicker than hollandaise, which makes it cling to broccoli florets without sliding off.
How To Cook Broccoli (Without Overcooking It)
The goal is tender-crisp broccoli. You want a little resistance when you bite in, not mush. Here are three ways to do it.
Microwave (Fastest & Fewest Dishes): Trim the broccoli into 1½ to 2-inch pieces. Place them in a microwave-safe container with 1 tablespoon of water. Cover with a microwave-safe plate, leaving a small vent for steam to escape. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Skip the automatic vegetable setting on your microwave - it almost always overcooks them. Start checking at 3 minutes.
Steaming: Place a steaming rack in a large pot and add water until just under the rack. Bring to a boil. Lay the broccoli on the rack, cover, and steam for 4-6 minutes until tender-crisp.
Boiling: Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the water. Cook the broccoli for 2-4 minutes. Drain well.
Season with kosher salt and pepper after cooking, not before. Broccoli shrinks, and it's easy to overseason. Drain it well before adding the sauce, or the extra water will thin it out.
Ingredients
You only need 5 ingredients for the creamy lemon sauce.
- Mayonnaise: This is the base of the sauce and what gives it its richness. Full-fat mayonnaise, Hellmann's or Best brand, works best.
- Sour Cream: Adds more tang to the richness of the mayo. I use full-fat sour cream. Reduced-fat sour cream does work.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice only. It's what brightens the whole sauce and lifts the flavor. Bottled lemon juice has a slightly metallic taste that shows up in a simple sauce like this.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a sharp, complex layer to the sauce. Prepared yellow mustard also works.
See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Trim the broccoli into 1½ to 2-inch florets. Cook using your preferred method (microwave, steam, or boil) until just tender. Drain well and season with kosher salt and pepper.
Step 2: In a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine.
Step 3: If using a bowl, microwave on high, covered, for 30-second increments, stirring between each, until warm.
Alternatively, warm the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until just warmed through.
Add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin the sauce to your desired consistency.
Step 4: Drizzle the creamy lemon sauce over the broccoli and serve immediately.
Variations & Substitutions
This sauce is easy to tweak based on what you have or what you're serving it with.
- Sour Cream: Greek yogurt works as a substitute.
- Lemon Juice: Substitute rice vinegar or lime juice.
- Spice: Add a pinch of cayenne or a dash of hot sauce to the sauce before warming.
- Garlic: Stir in ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder for more of an aioli.
- Other Vegetables: This sauce works over asparagus, green beans, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts. My crispy roasted broccoli and this sauce are good together if you want some textural contrast.
Top Tip
Warm the sauce over low heat, and stir to prevent scorching. It's forgiving and won't split on you even if it boils a little.
If the sauce is thicker than you'd like once warm, stir in 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it reaches the consistency you want.
Make Ahead Instructions
For the sauce (up to 4 days ahead): Stir together the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, and Dijon in a small container. Cover and refrigerate. When you're ready to serve, warm it slowly in a microwave or a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently.
For the broccoli (up to 2 days ahead): Cut the florets and add them to a microwave-safe serving bowl. Cover and store in the fridge.
Storage Information
Refrigerator: Store leftover sauce in a covered container for up to 4 days from when it was made. Store cooked broccoli separately. Reheat the sauce slowly over low heat or in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring frequently, before serving.
Freezing: Not recommended.
FAQ
Stir in a teaspoon of tap water to loosen it up. Add a little at a time until you reach the consistency you want.
I don't have much experience using low-fat mayo. My school of thought is that I would rather have a smaller portion of a flavorful sauce than more sauce using low-fat mayo with a long list of ingredients.
If you want to try lower-fat options, substitute low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt for the full-fat sour cream.
Yes. The lemon and Dijon pair well with fish. My pan-seared salmon with a drizzle of this sauce is a quick and easy dinner option worth trying
Yes. It actually works well as a cold dipping sauce for raw or lightly blanched vegetables. It's a good option for a crudité spread.
I've never had this sauce separate on me. I tested it by microwaving the dickens out of it... No splitting.
More Side Dishes You Will Love
Did you try any of these tips? Leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out! Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Broccoli With Creamy Lemon Sauce
Equipment
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl
- whisk or rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds fresh broccoli, 2 bunches or crowns (If using pre-cut florets from a bag, start with one 12-ounce bag, enough for 4 servings)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (50 grams)
- ¼ cup sour cream (60 grams)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (5 grams)
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (2.5 grams)
- 1-2 teaspoons water, if needed to thin the sauce
Instructions
- Trim the broccoli into 1½-2 inch pieces. Cook using your preferred method (microwave, steam, or boil) until just tender. See post for detailed directions on each method. Drain well and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine.
- If using a bowl, microwave on high, covered, for 30-second increments, stirring between each, until warm.Alternatively, warm the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until just warmed through.
- Add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin the sauce to your desired consistency.
- Drizzle the creamy lemon sauce over the broccoli and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Comments
No Comments